Chartered Accounting Firm Ram & McRae is calling on the David Granger-led Administration to put an end to the subverting of the Public Service by the practice of employing large numbers of contract workers who are remunerated with exorbitant salaries and benefits.
The Christopher Ram-owned Ram & McRae had initially observed in its review of this year’s Budget – Budget Focus 2016 – that the number of contract workers under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration along with the total employment costs had skyrocketed.
Government through Minister of State Joseph Harmon, and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, had both responded to the reports, insisting that the number had not increased so drastically, but rather it was a miscalculation of Ram & McRae.
In a statement on Monday, however, the chartered accounting firm insists that its calculations were correct.
“Minister of State Joseph Harmon sought to attribute the increase in the Ministry of the Presidency to organisational changes and posited that the Office of the President cannot be compared to the Ministry of State, which now includes the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Ministry of Citizenship, and the Public Service Department.”
In fact, Ram & McRae was not comparing the Ministry of the Presidency with the Office of the President, but comparing the two year-end numbers (2015 and Budget 2016) in the same Ministry.
“It appears that Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman may have been under the same impression and called such an increase virtually impossible, adding that the Ministry of Natural Resources, which was recently designated a separate Ministry, was also included within the Ministry of the Presidency until January 2016,” Ram & McRae clarified.
The Accounting Firm reiterated that it was disappointed about the increases in both the number and cost of contract employees, noting once again that it was not healthy for the country’s democracy and such practice put under strain Article 38 G of the Constitution which requires the Public Service to be free from political influence.
The company noted nonetheless that the problem started under the previous Administration, and expressed confidence in the present Government to put an end to the practice.
“Between 2010 and 2014, the expenditure on contract employees rose from $4.7 billion to $9.4 billion, an increase of 100 per cent… We sincerely believe that President Granger has the authority to end this abuse. We look to him to act on the matter,” the Firm stated.
The number of contractual employees under the coalition Government not only grew by 16 per cent but the total employment costs for all the Ministries amounted to a whopping $30.5 billion.
In fact, contract employees have increased in all Ministries except for the Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs Ministries, with the Office of the Prime Minister (Moses Nagamootoo) capitalising on a 73 per cent increase in the number of contract workers who are budgeted to pocket a total of approximately $82 million at the end of the year, an increase of over 280 per cent compared to the 2015.
For the Ministry of the Presidency, contract employees have jumped from 298 to 505; in the Finance Ministry from 162 to 167; Indigenous Affairs Ministry, 72 to 79; Agriculture Ministry, 248 to 274; Tourism Ministry, 31 to 40; Business Ministry, 30 to 40; Natural Resources Ministry, 38 to 56; Public Infrastructure Ministry, 271 to 294; Education Ministry, 601 to 691; Communities Ministry, 55 to 62; Public Health Ministry, 1303 to 1400; Social Protection Ministry, 369 to 371 and Public Security Ministry, 239 to 248, while the newly-introduced Public Telecommunications Ministry contracted 122 employees.
Consequently, the total employment costs for all of the Ministries climbed from around $12 billion to in excess of $30 billion, a radical increase of 147 per cent when compared to the previous year.
Moreover, although there was a decrease in the number of contract workers in the Foreign Affairs and Legal Affairs Ministries, their employment costs have risen by a considerable eight per cent.
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pedocarp you are a dunce not to understand what you reading
The more I read this comment the more I am liking it. Factual and at the same time amusing and entertaining
What happen Chris Ram? Like your own Dog bite you ? Tek half and left half.
Did you make any demands when the PPP was doing the same thing?
DK! political rubbish as usual.PooPyParty, seriously depleted brain cell follower.Sorry, if you want to make a sensible contribution, to correcting what any government is doing wrong, you need to make sense. .You, do not!!.So back to PooPyParty school for you.
Well look who is opposing. Question is why only now. From the get go this Defacto Coalition Government commenced draining the treasury. PPP will remain in Opposition for years to come due to rigged elections. Pres freedom will be a thing of the past and our economy will continue to decline due to massive government spending. There is more to come.
Thank you Chris, do not flinch from exposing the truth. This reckless uneeded expenditure , must stop.Who are these contract workers, and what expertise do they have, that cannot be found in the Public Service.This must be answered by the ministers concerned. If not we must dig, find the truth, and expose it.We will not allow this or any government, to do what previous governments did, make us their lapdogs come elections, and then we are cast off.This government are long on words and excess expenditure, but short on, promised jobs to the youth, and a 3 and 5 year year projection, so we can hold their feet to the fire.Only words no future planning.Get cracking, or you will be out before you wake up.
RAM -Harmon is the next GREEN- IF we scroll back a few articles, you were the ONE taking Jagdeo to Court! So what happen to your PNC Regime? – They did not include you in the big contracts….poor suckers! You and your APNU regime is not for the people of Guyana – How much more does it take for people to realize that! You, Moses, Ramjattan are all money hawks! You prey on the poor Guyanese…May god grant you automatic HELL for being the betrayer -you, Ramkarran, who all hang your mouths where soup leak. You people have a lot more lessons to learn from the PNC – you are all taken turns being trampled upon! Stop cry and be a MAN – OLD people always say, if you take a pig and put him on the throne, when he smell shit is right back into it the pig will go- That is PNC…live and learn while Granger teach you how the pig pen operates.
“Integrity is the lifeblood of democracy. Deceit is a poison in its veins”. – Edward Kennedy.
“A politician is a man who double crosses that bridge when he comes to it”. – Oscar Levant.
147% increase in wages for contract workers? This govt is rewarding its friends and relatives and people must demand this misuse of our money ends. .
If,according to Ram,contract workers are at an alarming HIGH,something should be done,to make the necessary adjustments.The PPP were accused of having too many contract workers,This Coalition must revisit its programme.
‘STOP THE ABUSE’ – Ram & McRae urges President regarding employment of contract workers
Well you all know that Big Horn Ram has to urge PNC and not Demand from PNC if not he too knows where to draw the PNC line when it comes to exposing and deposing..Remember how they were Imposing Exposing and Deposing PPP through KN and SN?
These men knows when to say and what to say against PNC wrong doings since they all knows too well PNC past atrocity on those that oppose.